Ride your own horse til the end
by Protectress of Dalidon
Summary: Everyone now rides and competes horseback, Lizzy is determined to show an arrogant man just what her 'paddock pet' can do! Let the games begin! r/r plz
1. What do bloodlines mean about Talent?

A/N and disclaimer: I must thank Jane Austen for her characters and a story I read on Austen.com for my inspiration. I love reviews so please let me know what you think. The horses, characters, events and conversations are entirely fictional and as the story is set in modern times yes, women are allowed to compete. I'd like to thank anyone who reads and reviews this in advance. Enjoy! Zanna

A young man competing in horse events must want the best. A rich young man who is so obviously single and without other concerns can afford the best horses there are. But that did not lessen the anger of Miss Elizabeth Lyndee Bennet. 

"Insufferable conceit." The man walking past had just told his friend that he wouldn't be seen anywhere near Elizabeth and her 'paddock pet'. 'She is just a commoner, no real talent I'm sure.' He had said when his blonde friend had mentioned the girl warming up her chestnut. 'And that paddock pet of hers has no breeding or scope. They are not worth my concern Bingley, no, the only one I shall worry about is your new friend Jane, but she is no match for my superior riding.' She saw that the blonde had left the arrogant man watching the warm ups and so decided Elizabeth urged her horse, Longbourn Firebright Warrior, towards the small practice fence. Her position was faultless and as the abominable man was directly opposite the jump he had a clear view of the approach, take off, suspension and landing. Smiling slightly the rider knew she had made the self-important man rethink what he had said. Warrior was by far a match for anything he could set against him.

            "Who is he Jane," the brunette asked as she waited in the collecting ring for the showjumping, "that proud one who just jumped?" Her sister shrugged from atop her dapple-grey mare, Longbourn Long Time Waiting.

"He is the best friend of the new owner of Netherfield." She replied. "His name is Darcy and he is the owner of Pemberly Stables." Elizabeth laughed. He was back in the ring with an almost black gelding, this time he was after Miss Jane Marie Bennet, the elder and gentler of the five sisters. 

"I see. That is why he called Flame a paddock pet." 

"No, surely!" Exclaimed blonde Jane.

"The very rich can afford to give offence wherever they go.  But didn't he bid against Papa for Daphne?" 

"Yes, but he must not have seen her showing potential." Elizabeth agreed. The mare in question had a heavy hunter look in her winter coat but once summer came she was one of the most beautifully conformed horses the Bennets owned. She had been at an auction almost three years ago and had been very neglected. Mr Bennet was determined that the bay would make a brilliant show and brood mare and so had bid for her against the renowned Mr Darcy, who had seen only bloodlines and paperwork. Kitty, the second youngest Bennet girl, was doing very well on the Pony Club circuit and was ready to take on some stiffer competion soon with the retrained and cared for mare.  Elizabeth was called into the arena and she waited calmly for the bell.

            The chestnut was flying. Darcy had the video going again that evening at Netherfield. Although he had won the showjumping and dressage he had been almost beaten by the chestnut and woman rider he was watching compete again.

"For God's sake Darcy!" Miss Caroline Veronica Bingley interrupted. "Haven't you watched that enough? You beat her, she came third." _But she only had one horse and she was just mucking around with the course._

"Her sister came second." Originally he had put both sisters' performances down to luck, now he was not so sure.

"Then watch her. I am sick of that chestnut knocking the last pole." She was really just aggravated that his attention should be so focused on another woman. It didn't matter that she was of low breeding or that she rode a pathetic horse, just that his attention was not on the unmarried Bingley sister.

"I think Elizabeth rode brilliantly." Charles Alfred Bingley declared. "But her sister was superb, you cannot deny that."

"I have no wish to. For riding a single horse against such stiff competition she did remarkably well. The mare is also reputed to be a terror to ride for everyone else."

"Jane is the sweetest person I have every met. She is gentle, funny and entirely unassuming…"

"Keep going Bingley and I will believe you are in love with the eldest Miss Bennet." Although the comment bought a laugh from most everyone in the room, Darcy knew that there was an amount of truth that worried him. Just as it may have delighted Elizabeth for she was very sure he sister liked Bingley very much indeed.


	2. The two more team members

There was a smaller local show the week after Bingley had settled in at Netherfield. It was customary for the majority of people to at least see the horse games events the trio, Darcy, Mr Bingley and Miss Bingley, attended to admire the finest ponies the district had to offer. However, Darcy had refused to enter any of the events, 'at a show such as this? You must be kidding Bingley. Storm would trounce them entirely.' Bingley had no such reservations and noticing that there were plenty of events he could enter on the day he did so. Darcy watched from a key vantage point and listened to the gossip and commentators who were constantly getting details wrong, in his opinion. Miss Bingley was very bored and so left to ride a trail before the last set of events, the games.

            Elizabeth laughed heartily when her sister introduced her to Mr Bingley and suggested that he be part of their four-person games team.

"I should very much like to have you on the team Mr Bingley but I thought Lydia was bringing our fourth player." Elizabeth said.

"No, she has gone to do something with her friends this afternoon. She didn't really want to enter games on Dancer yet anyway." Jane replied quietly.

"Then we are in need of two others to join our team. Mr Bingley…"

"Please, call me Charles."

"Charles, would you like to be one of the Longbourn team?" She was smiling welcomingly and Bingley agreed on the spot. It was then up to the rider of the chestnut to find the other team member and after a suggestion from Bingley she was determined to approach the most arrogant man at the show. Even if it was just to show she had no hard feelings about his comments before.

            She was riding in his direction and Darcy could think of no reason at all she should approach him carrying a brightly coloured sash. Perplexed he waited for her to ride past but she stopped, dismounted and smiled.

"Good afternoon Mr Darcy." She began. "My name is Elizabeth Bennet. I came third at the jumping last week at –shire show." He nodded and wondered why she looked slightly nervous.

"Nice to meet you, your ride was impressive." She wrinkled her nose with dissatisfaction.

"No, I wasn't concentrating and nor was Flame, we were on autopilot." He was very glad he could school his features into any expression he chose for he was sure that otherwise his jaw would have hit the grass with a thud.

"I see." There was a pause.

"I was wondering if you would be so kind as to be the fourth member of a team to compete in the games later this afternoon. My sister and her friend have left us in the lurch and Mr Bingley has kindly volunteered to be third player but we are still in need of the last rider. It would be great if you would ride with us."

"Ride in a games event?" He asked again, shocked anyone would dare propose such an idea.

"Yes, there is not one event more prestigious in our area. After all, what good is a horse that can only jump or do dressage if it is not responsive and a pleasure to ride?" Her remark hit home and he reached for the sash.

"What exactly does this event entail?" She smiled

"I'll tell you once you're mounted and over with Mr Bingley. I'm sure he and my sister are discussing strategies but I'd like to go over everything once before we compete with everyone there." Mounting she waved, smiled and rode back to the other two people on the team. Darcy wondered for a moment what on earth had possessed him to accept her challenge but unable to find a satisfactory answer he tacked up Storm and went to be briefed on the tactics involved in games.


	3. Let the Games begin!

The team of four was the smallest competing that day and it was decided that as Elizabeth and Jane knew the run of events the two other riders would simply follow orders. The pole bending was first and Jane rode up to the start mark. The team would ride one rider per heat; whichever team won the most heats received the best position for the next event. Elizabeth grilled Darcy on his horse's strengths and weaknesses before and after he raced. She was to go third and sixth as that was the maximum participants in a single team. Depending on the outcome of Jane and Darcy's runs the fifth horse would be decided. Jane won, as did the other members of the team.

"Jane, you have to go next." The younger sister said.

"No, I was not fast enough, Hannah will surely beat me." Elizabeth pressed her lips together. Bingley nudged his friend who then spoke up.

"I'll take fifth run, Storm loved the last time through."

"Yes, but he almost knocked the poles." She paused and looked at the horse carefully. "Alright, go line up and remember to keep him steady." Darcy raised his eyebrow at her, a gesture she returned equally before shooing him to the line.

"Did you really have to tease him Lizzy?" Jane asked quietly.

"Yes, he will do better that way." She was right, he beat his own record and the team was ranked number 1 at the end of the first event.

            Miss Bingley was shocked indeed when she arrived later than expected and saw her brother and Mr Darcy holding their horses talking to the Bennet girls in earnest. But what was really extraordinary was that Miss Elizabeth seemed to be giving orders and the others all nodded compliantly. Jane went to talk to the official and the others awaited her return with interest. Miss Bingley approached.

"Caroline! You were supposed to be here almost an hour ago!" Declared her brother. "You didn't get lost did you?"

"Most certainly not, though I can see that I was not missed."

"You most certainly were Miss Bingley, we could have used another player." Elizabeth said honestly.

"For what?"

"Games."

"Games? I never ride in games anymore. So childish." She looked to Darcy and noticed that he wasn't wearing his formal jacket or tie anymore and that the button at his throat had been undone so the collar tips were settled comfortably close to his shoulders. 

"Actually they are very taxing Caroline." He said without smiling. "Storm lost the… what was it?"

"Flag-in-the-bucket and off-again-on-again." Supplied the woman.

"Yes. I thought I had him well trained but he won't move until I'm in the stirrups and he hates waving flags next to his head." Darcy had been shocked when an unregistered gelding trounced him in the two heats. It had been all Elizabeth could do not to laugh.

"Well, I think I'll sit over there and watch you make fools of yourselves." With such a perfect parting comment she rode away and settled herself comfortably to watch the last event, the team obstacle course.


	4. The final event and the trophy hilaritty

The course wasn't hard for the locals. The first rider raced to the L shaped poles, turned their horse and backed through the gaps, tagging the second rider. They weaved through a line of poles and tagged the next player. Small cross-poles lined up with only a stride or two in between were next, which the third rider tackled. Fourth had a small barrel course to follow, the numbers were painted on each facing side. Second last riders raced to a point almost directly out from where they had started to the sixth rider who then raced home to beat the other times. The teams of six went first, then those with five and last the four from Longbourn and Netherfield.

"We have enough time to plan and warm up the horses." She began as the first rider approached the L. 

They discussed the order of riders and the time available to get to the next point on the course. It had all been finalised when Elizabeth declared,

"It would be so much easier if they let one person do two sections in a row." Jane laughed at her sister who was pouting slightly.

"But then we wouldn't have the fun of concentrating on ten things at once, would we Lizzy?" They both laughed.

"No, we wouldn't. Not that I'd mind much." An announcement came over the speaker. 

"A reminder to all competitors in the team obstacle course, the baton you are carrying must be passed on to the next rider." He repeated the message and added that one team had already been disqualified for failing to hand on the plastic cylinder. Elizabeth was already in the saddle as she realised what Darcy did. That if their leg was to be successful and clear then the chances of contact was high. She hoped that Storm wouldn't ram Flame and was preoccupied with that notion while Darcy warmed up, his mind focused very differently.

            "I bet I know what you're thinking." Caroline said to Darcy as she rode up behind him.

"I would be very surprised." He answered, stilling Storm to gauge both his and the gelding's mood appropriately.

"You are thinking that this is one of the worst shows you have ever been to. And you know that now that you have competed there is no possible way you can escape the tediousness of other local shows." 

"No, actually I was on a much pleasanter line of thought."

"Really? Do tell."

"I was thinking that there is a grace and beauty that comes with riding well and easily that nothing else can replicate. The pleasure which watching a competent horse and rider work together invokes is like nothing else I know."

"And whose riding inspires such revelation Mr Darcy?"

"Miss Elizabeth Bennet's. I have never seen rider and horse so well matched."

"I am amazed. I had not realised that a country girl and her country hack could have such an affect on you." She rode away hiding tears of rage and sorrow. Darcy didn't realise what he had done and was quite happy watching the chestnut warming up with his bold rider.

            They were flying again. Warrior stomped for a moment as Storm raced towards them; the rider's arm closest to her outstretched with the baton grasped just enough to hold it until the switch. She urged her horse into a canter and for two strides the horses were perfectly synchronised. Darcy stared her in the eyes as she reached for the plastic cylinder. The moment lasted until the chestnut surged ahead, switching to a gallop to make it to the finish in time. Storm stopped suddenly and Darcy realised he had almost gone too far from the point of transference. He watched a small curl of hair dancing on her back as she flew past the finishing point. The chestnut executed a sliding stop and again Darcy was amazed by the potential of the horse. He frowned though, knowing then that anyone watching would not realise that he had been again thinking of the now smiling rider. She looked as though she had fairy or elf blood in her and he was determined not to move until the signal. Up went the horse and Jane cried out in happiness, her horse breaking into a canter beneath her. The other two riders followed suit and the team laughed happily, as they were announced winners of the team games event. Each rider was given a small trophy and for a moment the judges wondered what to do with the remaining two which had been engraved already. Warrior made the decision, delicately taking one trophy between his teeth. The crowd laughed and the other cup was given to Jane, who gave it to Bingley. Warrior parted with the winners' prize only because Lizzy gave him a large chunk of carrot. 

"I would offer it to you Mr Darcy, but my horse has destroyed it." She smiled, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Miss Bennet, I would count myself lucky to receive such a gift. Your horse has taught me more that I had thought a…" he paused and looked the horse over again, "home trained horse could." Her face was calm but her eyes flashed angrily. Then she handed the battered trophy to the man and rode off, swaying as one with her house.


End file.
